The Hindu : Front Page : City of Taj back to normal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 25, 2005

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Front Page

City of Taj back to normal

Prashant Pandey

Situation brought under control by police; PAC contingents on alert

LIMPING BACK: Policemen keep a close watch on shoppers in Subhash Market area of Agra on Monday, a day after clashes broke out over a theft. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

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AGRA: A day after clashes broke out between members of two communities here over allegations of misbehaviour with a woman who had allegedly stolen clothes from a store in Subhash Bazar on Sunday, normality returned to this historic city of the Taj on Monday. For a change, the bazaar -- a hub of wholesale business in clothes and shoes -- remained open on Monday, normally the weekly holiday.

Though business was brisk, some shopkeepers said customers from far-off areas were still sceptical about coming all the way. "This is the festive season and we cannot afford to lose out on this annual opportunity," said one shopkeeper.

All of them had to down their shutters on Sunday after violence broke out. One of the sales managers of Rajkumar and Sons in Subhash Bazar -- the point where it all started -- speaking on condition of anonymity said one of their boys had noticed that a woman had not paid for the clothes she had taken along with her. He spotted her at some distance and asked her to pay up. However, the woman allegedly told the people of her community that the shop staff had molested her while frisking her on the pretext of recovering "stolen" clothes. Following the allegations, some men from the nearby Mantola locality confronted the staff. An argument broke out between them and led to fisticuffs. More and more people joined in from both sides and began hurling stones.

The District Magistrate of Agra, Sanjay Prasad, said on Monday that prompt action by the police and restraint exercised by people from both sides prevented the situation from worsening. With all senior police officers out of the city to oversee panchayat elections, it would have been difficult for them to control the situation in time but for intelligent handling of the situation by the Superintendent of Police (Rural), Gulab Singh, added Mr. Prasad. Mr. Singh was among the first senior officers to reach Subhash Bazar along with a handful of men. "We needed time and he helped us buy that," said Mr. Prasad.

While adequate force has been deployed in the area to keep up vigil, the men of the Provincial Armed Constabulary have been kept on stand-by.

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